Storm Front Brings Rain, Snow, Strong Winds

Another round of fierce winter weather is on the way, according to Israeli forecasters on Sunday.

Despite a brief respite of milder weather on Sunday and Monday, meterologists were warning of  snow, rain and heavy winds later in the week.

Rain over Shabbos helped the Kinneret reach 212.83 meters below sea level (when full the surface level lies around 210 meters below sea level).

But Israelis were told to brace themselves high winds and plunging temperatures on Tuesday, with snow likely on Mount Hermon, in the Golan Heights, Tzfas and Yerushalayim. Some forecasts talked of as much as a foot of snow in the higher elevations in northern Israel and the Etzion Bloc, south of Yerushalayim.

In anticipation of the kind of frontal weather assault that knocked down trees and power lines last year, Yerushalayim city employees began pruning potentially dangerous branches on trees and conducting road inspections for trouble spots.

Firefighters, emergency units and the municipal water board were put on alert for flooding in low places.

This article appeared in print on page 9 of the January 5th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.